Cindy (dolphin)
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Cinderella (c.1975–June 18, 2006), though more commonly just called Cindy, was a male bottle-nosed dolphin that made international headlines for an unofficial marriage to a woman.
[edit] Marriage
Cindy was taken in 1990 from the Black Sea to the Dolphin Reef dolphinarium in Eilat, Israel, in the Gulf of Aqaba. [1] There, he was seen by British woman Sharon Tendler during a show. Tendler continued visiting for 15 years before she requested permission for the "wedding" in 2005.[2] Permission was granted and the ceremony was held on December 28 of that year. It began with the 41-year-old Tendler walking down the dock in a white silk dress and a pink tiara towards the water where 35-year-old Cindy was waiting.[3] She kissed him and fed him fish, and at the end of the ceremony was thrown into the water.[2] Tendler stated that "the peace and tranquility under water, and his love, would calm me down,"[2] and that she loved him.[4]
[edit] Media portayal
Though the media painted a more romantic picture of the event, Tendler herself admitted that the marriage had no legal standing[4] and that the ceremony was, in her own words, "a bit of fun" after her friends joked about her being single at the age of 41. [5]
The marriage was non-exclusive. Cindy was the father of all of the dolphins born in the area, [6] which Cindy was happy with, and Tendler kept open the option of "marrying human", but was strictly a "one dolphin woman".[4] As Cindy is normally a woman's name, it has been mistakenly stated that the marriage was a same-sex marriage. [7] After three weeks of poor health, Cindy died on June 18, 2006, less than a year after the marriage. He was buried at sea. [6]
[edit] References
- ^ Dolphin Reef website
- ^ a b c Woman weds dolphin The Age December 30, 2005.
- ^ Woman marries Dolphin Anova
- ^ a b c Woman marries dolphin The Age, January 2, 2006
- ^ Fishy tale of woman who 'wed' dolphin Ilford Recorder, January 5, 2006
- ^ a b Dolphin married to British Jew dies Ynetnews, June 18, 2006
- ^ "Talking Points: The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" By Bill O'Reilly, Fox News, January 6, 2006
